Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (August 13, 1926 – November 25, 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary leader and politician who held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 until 1976, subsequently serving as President from 1976 to 2008. A staunch Marxist–Leninist and Cuban nationalist, Castro also held the title of First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from 1961 until 2011. His governance established Cuba as a one-party communist nation, marked by the nationalization of industries and extensive socialist reforms across the country.
Born in Birán, Oriente, to a prosperous Spanish landowner, Castro developed leftist and anti-imperialist beliefs during his legal studies at the University of Havana. His early political activism included involvement in uprisings against right-wing regimes in both the Dominican Republic and Colombia, culminating in his attempt to overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. This effort began with a botched assault on the Moncada Barracks in 1953, resulting in a year of imprisonment. After his release, Castro moved to Mexico, where he organized the 26th of July Movement alongside his brother Raúl Castro and revolutionary figure Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
Upon returning to Cuba, he became a pivotal figure in the Cuban Revolution, leading guerrilla warfare against Batista’s regime until its collapse in 1959. After assuming power, he faced strong opposition from the United States, which resorted to assassination plots, economic sanctions, and the ill-fated Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961. In response, Castro allied with the Soviet Union, allowing them to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba, triggering the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962—an event that became emblematic of Cold War tensions.
Under Castro's leadership, Cuba transformed into a socialist state governed by the Communist Party, which was unprecedented in the Western Hemisphere. His policies focused on centralized economic planning, universal healthcare,
